The United Arab Emirares (UAE) is the sixth largest exporter of dates to global markets, according to a report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN). The Arab state is also the single largest gross exporter of dates to the global markets, with a 37 percent market share.

"As a plant indigenous to the desert, the cultivation of date palm requires less investment and effort than the adoption of plant species from less arid regions", said editor and compiler of the FAO report, Abdelouahhab Zaid.

"At a more significant level, date palm cultivation has been proven to play a crucial role in anti-desertification strategies world-wide," said Chairperson of the Emirates Environmental Group (EEG), Habiba Al-Marashi at the organization's recent 4th General Meeting. "One of the important aspects of the UAE's desertification control and land reclamation policies has been the plantation of thousands of hectares of palm trees, woodlands and green belts."

The UAE is home to 40.1 million—mostly newly planted—palm trees, 33.7 million of which are located in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, consisting of 37 different species. The country’s dramatic progress in developing the cultivation of palms has increased their number to 20 percent of all date palms in the world, producing more than 250,000 tons of dates, making the country one of the largest date producers and processors in the world. — (menareport.com)